Car-coupling.



No. 771,992. I PATBNTEDOCi-ll, 1904.

ALMATTER.

' CAR COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 2's. 1904.

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o H 1 14 7 5 f j luvenr oz imif ne-mw I I v t l v I I I I I I Queuing No. 771,992. PATENTED OCT. 11, 1904.

A. MATTER.

GAR COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED APR, 28. 1904.

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m" noun-II w nmun-An in UNITED STATES Patented October 11, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

ANDREW MATTER, OF CONNELSVILLE, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO S. F. SHUMATE, OF- CONNELSVILLE, MISSOURI.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 771,992, dated October 11, 1904.

Application filed April 28, 1904:. Serial No. 205,388. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ANDREW MATTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oonnelsville, in the county of Adair and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful coupled position and means whereby said locking mechanism may be quickly released to permit the parts to uncouple while the train is in motion and without relieving the strain or pull on the coupler.

Another object is to provide means whereby said locking mechanism may be controlled from the side or top of a car.

A further object is to provide a locking mechanism for car-couplers which will be simple, strong, and reliable, easily operated, and well adapted to the use for which it is designed.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, as will be more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a front elevation of a freight-car equipped with the improved coupler. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the coupler and aportion of the operating mechanism. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view through the coupler on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view of the same on the line 55 of Fig. 2.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 denotes the coupler, which is preferably of the J anney type, having a pivoted knuckle 2, on which is formed a rearwardly-projecting locking-finger 3, adapted to work in a slot or recess 4: in the head of the coupler. On the end of the finger 3 is formed a tooth 5, which is adapted to engage a notch 6 in a horizontally-disposed latch-bar 7, which is slidably mounted in a passage or channel 8, formed in the inner portion of the coupler-head, said passage 8 communicating with the slot or recess A, as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings. The inner end of the bar 7 is cut away on one side to form a shoulder 9, which is adapted to engage an oifset or shoulder 10 in the passage 8 when in released position, thereby limiting the inward movement of the latclrbar. On the lower side of the bar 7 is formed a shoulder 12,'which is adapted to engage a shoulder 13, formed in the lower wall of the passage 8 when the bar 7 is in locked position, thereby relieving the strain on certain other parts. Inthe outer end of the latch-bar 7 is pivoted the lower end of a locking-bar 14, the upper end of which works through an apertured guide-lug 15, formed on the coupler-head. Near the upper end of the bar 14 is formed an outwardly projecting triangularly shaped tooth 16, which is adapted to engage the upper wall of the aperture of the lug 15, thereby holding the locking-bar 14: down and the latch-bar in a projected or locked position. The tooth 16 is also adapted to engage an inclined surface 17 on the inner upper side of the lug 15 to hold said bar l t up and thelatchbar in a position of release when it is desired to hold the same in this position.

The upper end of the locking-bar 1 1 is pivotally connected to one end of a pair of toggle-links 15, which are pivoted at their opposite ends, as at 35, to a second pair of togglelinks 16, said links 16' being pivotally connected at their opposite ends between ears or lugs 17 on the couplerhead. Between the ears 17 is also pivotally connected one end of a releasing-lever 18, which is bent upwardly and passes between the pair of togglelinks 15 under the pivot 35. The outer upper end of said releasing-lever has an eye to which is connected the lower end of a short chain 19, the upper end of which is connected to one arm of a crank-lever 20, which is pivotally connected to the front ofa car. On

the end of said arm is secured a weight 21. On the opposite end of the lever 20 is formed an outwardly and downwardly projecting arm or crank 22, which is bent laterally at its outer end, as at 23. With said laterally-bent end is adapted to be engaged the outwardlyprojecting arm of an operating-lever 2a, which is pivotally mounted on the end of a car and extends to the side of the same, where it is provided with a crank-handle 25, by which the same may be turned to rock the lever 20 and release the locking mechanism of the coupler.

In order that the locking mechanism of the coupler may be released from the top of a car, a rod 26 is provided, said rod working through a guide-eye 27 at the top of the car. On the lower end of the rod 26 is formed a loop 28, which is engaged with the cranked end 22 of the lever 20. The end of the loop 28 is also pivotally connected to the outer end of a short link 29, the inner end of which is pivotally connected to the end of the car, so that when the rod 26 is pulled upwardly the crank-lever 20 will be rocked and the locking mechanism of the coupler released.

When the ends of two coupling-heads are brought together, the knuckle 2 will be pushed inwardly, thereby engaging the tooth 5 on the end of the locking-finger 3 with the notch 6 in the latch-bar 7, and thereby pushing said bar laterally in the passage or channel 8. This movement of the latch-bar draws the locking -bar 14 downwardly and outwardly, thereby engaging the tooth 16 on the same with the upper wall of the recess in the guide-lug 15, thus holding said bar down. The downward movement of the bar 14 causes the pairs of toggle-links to straighten out, and thereby hold the tooth 16 on the locking-bar in engagement with the upper wall of guidelug 15. By this means the latch-bar is locked in a projected position, thereby holding the knuckle of the coupler in coupled position. To release the locking-bar 14 and permit the latch to slide inwardly and release the knuckle, the operating-levers 24 or the rod 26 is actuated to rock the crank-lever 20, which in turn will draw upwardly on the bent lever 18, thereby raising the toggle-links and releasing the locking-bar, and thus permitting the latch-bar to slide inwardly and disengage the tooth on the knuckle, as hereinbefore described.

In the lever 18 is arranged a set-screw 30, the lower end of which is adapted to engage the upper end of the locking-bar 14:. By means of the set-screw 30 the lever 18 may be adjusted to regulate the position of the toggle-levers 15 and 16.

A coupler having a locking mechanism constructed as herein described may be instantly uncoupled while the train is in motion and the parts under the strain or tension due to the pulling of the cars.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,

the construction and operation of the invention will be readily understood without requiring a more extended explanation.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a car-coupler, the combination with a coupler-head, of a knuckle pivotally mounted therein, a bar slidably mounted in said head, means whereby said knuckle is engaged with said sliding bar and means for automatically locking said bar to hold said knuckle in coupled position, substantially as described.

2. In a car-coupler, the combination with a coupler-head, of a knuckle pivotally mounted therein, a locking finger formed on said knuckle, a tooth formed on said finger, a sliding latch-bar adapted to be engaged by said tooth and means whereby said latch-bar is automatically locked to hold said knuckle in coupled position, substantially as described.

3. In a carcoupler, the combination with a coupler-head, of a knuckle pivotally mounted therein, a locking finger formed on said knuckle, a tooth formed on said finger, a sliding latch-bar having a notch adapted to be engaged by said tooth, a locking-bar pivotally connected to the outer end of said latch-bar, a tooth formed on the upper end of said locking-bar, a stop fixed on said coupler-head with which said tooth is adapted to be engaged to lock s'aid bar, means for holding said toothed lockingbar in engagement with said stop, and means for releasing the same, substantially as described.

4. In a car-coupler, the combination with a coupler-head, of a knuckle pivotally mounted therein, a locking finger formed on said knuckle, a tooth formed on said finger, a sliding latch-bar having a notch adapted to be engaged by said tooth, a locking-bar pivotally connected to the outer end of said latch-bar, a tooth formed on the upper end of said locking-bar, a stop fixed on said coupler-head with which said tooth is adapted to be engaged to lock said bar, toggle-links pivoted to said coupler-head and to the upper end of said locking-bar whereby the same is held in engagement with said stop, and means whereby said toggle-links are actuated to release said tooth, substantially as described.

5. In a car-coupler, the combination with a coupler-head, of a knuckle pivotally mounted therein, a locking finger formed on said knuckle, a tooth formed on said finger, a sliding latch-bar having a notch adapted to be engaged by said tooth, a locking-bar pivotally connected to the outer end of said latch-bar, a tooth formed on the upper end of said locking-bar, an apertured guide-lug formed on said coupler -head with the upper wall of which aperture said tooth is adapted to be engaged to lock said bar, pairs of toggle-links pivoted to said coupler-head and to said bar whereby the latter is held in locked engagement with said guide-lug, a releasing-lever pivoted to said coupler-head, the upward movement of which will actuate said togglelinks and release said locking-bar, a cranklever pivotally connected to the end of a car to raise said releasing-lever, and a system of operatinglevers,-and rods mounted on the end of the car, whereby said crank-lever may be actuated from the side or top of the car, substantially as described.

6. In a cancoupler, the combination with a coupler-head, of a knuckle pivotally mounted therein, a locking finger formed on said knuckle, a tooth formed on said finger, a sliding latch-bar having a notch adapted to be engaged by said tooth, a locking-bar pivotally connected to the outer end of said latch-bar, a tooth formed on the upper end of said lockving-bar, an apertured guide-lug formed on said coupler head with the upper wall of which aperture said tooth is adapted to be engaged to lock said bar, pairs of toggle-links pivoted to said coupler-head and to said bar whereby the latter is held in locked engagement with said guide-lug, a releasing-lever pivoted to said coupler -head, the upward movement of which will actuate said togglelinks and release said locking-bar, a set-screw arranged in said lever to adjust the same and regulate the position of said toggle-levers, and means whereby said toggle-links are actuated to release said locking-bar and uncouple the cars while the same are in motion or without relieving the strain on the parts, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ANDREWV MATTER.

Witnesses:

J. E. REAUGH, J. W. 000K. 

